Let's Play Consider the Consequences!

Let's Play Consider the Consequences (LPCtC) is a weekly blog that brings back the original Consider the Consequences book for a modern audience through weekly polls. It is run by @nepalsaysrawr (Milcah).

Polls are released every Friday, Manila Time (UTC +8).

(Please note that schedules are subject to change)

Consider the Consequences, published in 1930 and written by Doris Webster and Mary Alden Hopkins, could be considered as the first gamebook of its kind, several decades before the youth-oriented Choose Your Own Adventure book series took off in the late 20th century. In contrast to the original CYOA series which would depict fantasy and sci-fi themes, this book was aimed towards adults and featured realistic, true-to-life scenarios.

Set in the fictional American town of Franklin, this book focuses on three characters, each with their own standalone story to tell and unique problems and choices to ponder:

Helen: A 20-year-old woman torn between two suitors (Jed and Saunders) and her first job

Jed: A pampered and sheltered rich boy who enjoys taking in lovers; lives with his widowed mother

Saunders: An ordinary and plain young man who works hard for a living; not exactly poor or rich

If you wish to read/play the book for yourself, you may read it on Wikisource, the Internet Archive, or Itch.io.

DISCLAIMER!

This book is in the public domain in the United States and countries with "life of the author + 50 years" rules (as the authors had passed away more than 50 years ago) or the rule of the shorter term. It may be copyrighted in your own country.

This book contains outdated language. It may also contain depictions of some sensitive topics that may upset some readers. I will preserve the original text of the book and not try to change anything.

Another thing: This blog is primarily for entertainment purposes and is not for monetary gain.

I am NOT the author of the story nor affiliated with the actual authors.

-Mod Milcah

<- Previous

(Mod's Notes Are in Italics)

Good day! This is your mod speaking. Welcome to another installment of Let's Play Consider the Consequences where your votes determine the outcome of the story!

In last week's post, Jed has decided ditch Carol in favor of another woman, Helen Rogers ('member her from the previous installments?). Speaking of Jed, he's a notorious lover-hopper, skipping from one partner to the next.

But anyway, about this Helen lady, she's not exactly as filthy damn rich as Carol is, but comes from a respectable family nonetheless. This causes Jed to fall in love with her, no matter what.

Unfortunately, for Mrs. Harringdale, she doesn't want her son to hook up with Helen that it causes her blood to boil. The doctors warn her should her blood boil even more, it would at least kill her off. On the other hand, Helen wants Jed to marry her, giving him two choices: either marriage or taking care of his mother.

Since you decided that Jed must be a dutiful son to his mother, and at least give the poor lady some sympathy and TLC, let's see what happens next. If Jed chose to marry Helen, his mother would've died... maybe from hypertension.

Unfortunately, Jed's story must come to an end, so enjoy the conclusion that you had made based on your votes. Next week, it's Saunders we'll be covering.

Jed's decision to give up Helen and stand by his mother was from one viewpoint admirable, while from another it was simply the result of his inability to make a decision. While he was saying to himself, "I'll wait and see what breaks," hoping against hope that in some miraculous way his mother would be reconciled to his marriage, Helen was up and off to take a job in the city.

Jed was both broken-hearted and relieved, for the break with Helen certainly did improve his mother's disposition. His three love-affairs had gone wrong, but this did not discourage him from trying others, each briefer than the last. The older generation spoke disparagingly of him as a Don Juan, looking upon him with disapproval, while the younger generation were bored by him. No one understood the tragedy of his eternal quest for a perfect woman who would satisfy both his mother and himself.

Jed never asked himself if there existed a perfect woman—and if so, why he deserved her. The consequence of his being a docile slave to a dominating, selfish old woman, was that he was a perfect son but no good at all as a husband.

Another thing before we end it all: We'll be posting a summary of Jed's story while we wait for Saunders's story based on your votes!

<- Previous Next ->

(Mod's notes are in Italics)

We're now back with your regular schedule after a round of short, yet sweet polls.

Just a brief recap of our previous post before we can proceed:

Jed's decided to go back to school and give away his baby with Gwen for adoption to the Joralemons, a couple in desperate need of a child, but he's turned to drinking, so he's been given the boot away from school but it doesn't matter much to his mother, she'll accept him anyway, college or not.

One day, Mrs. Harringdale hosts a party where Jed meets a beautiful young girl named Carol Lane, who hails from New York but vacations in Franklin. The two suddenly are infatuated with each other and engaged to marry one another. They then give out a heart-to-heart talk where they spill the beans about their romantic lives. This is when he realizes that men's lives are different from those of women's and Carol must forgive him.

Since you've decided that he shouldn't marry Carol, maybe it's time for him to seek out another love interest... and be happy.

Options are highlighted in orange.

Jed's natural tendency was toward women of force of character, and his next love-affair, a year after he had decided not to marry Carol, was with Helen Rogers, a handsome blond girl whose grave beauty was more restful to him than Carol's vivacious prettiness. Mrs. Harringdale opposed this marriage because although Helen came of a respected family, she had neither the money nor social prominence of Carol, and Mrs. Harringdale still hoped Jed would renew his inexplicably broken engagement. At one time Jed wanted Helen to elope with him, but she insisted that their marriage must be open and aboveboard.

The two years that followed were distressing to everybody. Mrs. Harringdale would not recognize her son's engagement to Helen, except by fulminating against it. She developed high blood-pressure under the strain, and the doctors warned Jed that any undue excitement would bring on a stroke and possibly be fatal to his mother. At the end of two years Helen insisted that they must separate or marry. If he was to hold her, Jed had to choose between his mother's health and marriage with Helen. He felt deeply the truth of the old saying that a man may have many sweethearts but he has only one mother.

<- Previous Next ->

(Mod's Notes are in italics)

Still sick, but I've been quite focusing on my dress up games and others.

Anyway, in our previous post, we've met Jed, a big rich hell of a flirtatious party boy who enjoys taking in the finest female lovers and is willing to court them with his money. One day, he and his two girlfriends run away to the local amusement park, but he makes a whoopsie with one of them, Gwen Murphy, ergo causing her to go pregnant, and since she's preggers, all she wants for Jed is to marry her STAT even if he's got to return back to school (college that is!), but his mother disapproves of her, and is willing to give her cash.

Since most of your votes decided that Jed shouldn't marry Gwen, let's see what happens. Will Gwen or Jed keep their offspring?

Jed went back to college. For the first time in his life he felt dissatisfied with himself, although he had obeyed his mother and affairs had been arranged as well as possible for Gwen. She went to New York, where the child was later born in a hospital and immediately adopted by a wealthy couple, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Joralemon.

To escape the reproaches of his conscience Jed took to drinking with the fast set, and as a result failed to pass his examinations at mid-years. His ranks were so poor that he was dropped from college. He felt himself a complete failure, but he was relieved that his mother did not take his dismissal from college seriously. Indeed, she was glad to have him under her wing again.

Mrs. Harringdale, who now saw that her son was bound to fall in love with somebody, decided to provide him with the right girl. She arranged an Easter house-party, including Carol Lane, a New York girl who spent most of her summers in Franklin. Carol was a gay, affectionate little thing, who mistook the intensity of her shifting emotions for deep intellectuality. She was extraordinarily pretty, except in her photographs, which overlooked her enchanting blond coloring and quick changes of expression and made her look insipid. When there was a party she was on the tips of her toes. Although she had been to proms and ball games, week-end parties and yachting parties, had gone in for swimming, riding, skiing and tennis, and had migrated with the social set on their seasonal circuits even before she was a sub-deb, she had never lost her youthful enthusiasm for any kind of a good time. She brought Jed out of his blue mood in a jiffy. He felt old and mature beside her young innocence, but he realized that a man's life is different from a woman's,

It was never hard for Jed to fall in love, and it was never hard for any man to fall in love with Carol. Their engagement was announced when the house-party ended. Jed felt it was only fair to Carol to tell her of his past, and before she left they had a heart-to-heart talk. Although he had expected that in the end she would forgive him because she must know that such things do happen in the lives of men, he was overwhelmed with gratitude at the warmth and generosity with which she assured him that she understood and did not hold his disastrous love-affair against him.

"I'm glad that you talked so frankly to me," she said. "It makes it easier for me to tell you something I know I ought to tell you, too." Then, to Jed's horror, she told him with simple directness that she too had known the intimacies of love. It had happened the summer before, in a mad infatuation, under the combined influence of moonlight, roses, and a last cocktail.

In agony Jed gasped: "How could you? You have ruined our love!"

In genuine surprise Carol replied: "But you did the same thing, yourself!"

"It's different with a man," protested Jed.

Carol indignantly stood up for the single standard. If she forgave him, he should forgive her.

Still more of the same old shortened polls, but we'll return back with your regularly scheduled posts soon.

Next ->

(Mod's notes are in Italics)

Good morning!

Your friendly mod is finally now back from vacation. I'm sorry if I am sick, but this time we'll cover Jed due to popular demand! Don't worry too much about Saunders, we'll cover his story as soon as Jed's is finished.

Jed here is a man who has it all: money, fancy cars, women, and song, 'cause his mother's got a lot of money in her pockets. How do you think Jed will fare? Let's see!

Options are highlighted in orange.

Jed Harringdale was the only son of a widow. If she had been a poor widow he would have been very different—and perhaps a finer character—for he would have been expected to assume responsibility early, but she was so very rich that she took care of him too much and too long for his best good.

Jed was fundamentally fine, but he did not have drilled into him in early youth the tiresome habits of getting to his appointments on time, knowing how much money he spent, doing things he didn't want to do because somebody else thought he ought to do them, eating what was good for him and not drinking what wasn't. In brief, he was not healthy nor wise, but he was wealthy—and a darling. To know him was to love him, and also to nag at him.

Jed grew up in Franklin, a small New England town. He went to the high school, because it was the best school there, but took his senior year in prep school. From prep school he went to Harvard, where he had a wonderful time and got through his Freshman year by the skin of his teeth. He came back to the old home town for his summer vacation ​in the swaggerest clothes ever seen there and driving a racing-car which he called the Scarlet Siren. The first Sunday after his return his mother took him to church to show him off, and in the afternoon, in the consciousness of duty well done, he picked up the first acquaintance whom he met, square-shouldered Saunders Mead, a clerk in the local emporium, and the two lads started off in the Scarlet Siren in search of golden adventure.

The car took them to Whoopee-Land, where they were just in time to pay the entrance fees for two damsels, one fair as noonday and the other black-eyed, like the dark lady of Shakspere's sonnets. (Jed had had Freshman English.) They exchanged names as they went round and round in the Ferris Wheel, they clung to each other duly in chuting the chutes, they kissed each other conventionally in the dark mill, and by that time they were well enough acquainted for the Scarlet Siren to hurry them to a road-house for food and possibly something to drink.

Jed was a fairy prince to Gwen Murphy and she was Brunhilde to him. The strength and sureness of this uneducated young woman were restful to Jed, who was too sensitive and nervous to be husky. Jed's sophistication and slim grace were to Gwen a glimpse into another world, which she had always longed to enter. Love at first sight had come to both, and though Saunders sensibly dropped his lady ​love on her door-step at an early hour and prudently rang the bell before he gave her a passionate goodnight kiss, Jed drove through Arcady with Gwen all night, speeding home in a panic in order that she might get herself safely tucked into bed before her stern father got up. This was the prelude to the most wonderful summer that either of them had ever known; Jed drifted into passionate love, evading disquieting thought; Gwen, deliberately facing the facts, was willing to brave scandal and the gossip which was already arising, in order to have her love.

Before college opened in the fall Jed had to face the first big decision of his life. Gwen told Jed that they must marry at once because she was going to have a child. Jed found that the matter did not involve simply himself and Gwen, it involved also his mother.

Mrs. Harringdale was broken-hearted at the news. No girl in the world was good enough for Jed, and instead of the best he had, from her viewpoint, chosen the worst. She made a generous offer of money to Gwen on condition that she release Jed. She felt that Jed had been trapped by an unscrupulous woman, and at a memorable interview with the girl, during which Jed was miserable with late repentance, she accused Gwen of having deliberately schemed to get a rich husband. To which Gwen replied indignantly:

​"I certainly would never have had a love-affair with a man who couldn't marry me. What sort of a girl do you think I am?"

Mrs. Harringdale told her, and the conversation that followed will not bear repeating.

Jed was now faced with the choice between mother and sweetheart. When Gwen asked in astonishment, "Don't you love me any more?" he was equally astonished to find that he was unable to answer that question clearly even to himself. Up against a trouble like this, he had no time to consider whether or not he was still in love with Gwen. One cannot ask a man trapped in a burning building whether or not he loves his wife.

It was a terrible punishment, for an hour of dalliance, to ruin his career and hurt his mother so cruelly. Yet the child was his as much as Gwen's.

Hoo boy, more of the same old shortened polls. This is because of time zone changes.

Hola, guys!

While we wait for the results, we'll have to sum up Helen's story based on the results we all voted for as this is a mass effort.

It all begins when Helen Rogers, a woman in her 20s, is forced to choose between two suitors: Jed Harringdale and Saunders Mead. Obviously, her favorite suitor is Jed, a wealthy, yet sickly man she considers her true love, but her parents want her to settle down with Saunders, whom they believe would make a fine, pragmatic partner to her, but to Helen, he's lame, dull, and oh-so-boring. Helen decides to break up with Jed, while she has plans to send herself away out of her hometown of Franklin for her first job.

Her friend, Marian Cole, wants her to move out with her to New York City, but, her parents, fearing that they'd end up having an empty nest, since her brother Simeon is leaving for South America and they'd rather have their daughter around to take care of them, and if she'd want to, she'd have to attend a local business course.

Helen decides to move into New York City, where she shares an apartment with Marian in Greenwich Village, but due to her lack of training in her new job at a printing press, she's put into the bottom and has to work her way towards the top. She's proven herself to be a good worker, that she gains even the admiration of the boss, who sadly underpays his workers, due to having some small children to support, but Helen ends up being in one of the most prestigious positions nonetheless.

One night, Marian tells her about another job that Helen can consider: a job at a magazine firm, but the boss wants her to stay with him due to her important position. She ditches the printing press in favor of the magazine firm, but she's got more work to do, while at the same time, she's got a party to attend.

<- Previous

(Mod's Notes are in italics)

Previously on Consider the Consequences...

Helen's got herself a spankin' new job at the magazine office and now lives in Greenwich Village, the hippest part of town, where all the cool kids hang out: college students, artists, poets, you name it! That means Helen's life has been improved for the better!

But here's a kicker: the magazine editor, Mr. Merritt, isn't available, so Helen is left to edit something by herself, and she's got to work overtime, but there's an important party she's got to attend too that she's brought clothes for. This party is in honor of Phil Burns, a young artist she's infatuated with.

Since most of the votes were in favor of her attending the party, maybe a girl's gotta protect her mental health after all from soul-crushing workloads! And finally, I've got myself some company to vote with me!

If Helen chose not to attend the party, we bet our lives she'd be dead tired or all zombielike. Or suffer from mental health issues. And yes, I'm sorry if I hit that post button a little too early. I was too excited fot this.

Unfortunately every great story must come to an end, including Helen's, so we'll see how her time in the party goes.

Announcements to be followed later.

Helen wore to the party the Chinese-red frock for which she had paid too much, and never had a girl less cause to regret extravagance. The eyes of all the men in the room turned automatically toward the bright red, and they discovered Helen. The young man for whom she had bought the frock, Phil Burns, succumbed quickly, and his wooing, which had been tentative up to that point, became whole-hearted. He was a young artist who was doing commercial drawing until he could get himself known as a portrait-painter. He reminded Helen of Jed, but he had good health, and a practical streak in his artistic temperament.

There was a wild courtship of at least a week, culminating in their marriage at the Little Church around the Corner, with rice and confetti, and white ribbons on the taxi. Helen kept on with her job, because Phil did not earn enough for two. For the same reason she postponed babies. She gave just enough attention to her business to avoid being fired and the rest to her husband whom she loved devotedly. Their prosperity depended entirely on him and not on her. It took her some time to accustom' herself to being no longer a free agent. But the ​atmosphere of the home depended upon Helen and Helen was slated to be happy.

The consequence of Helen’s putting marriage interests ahead of business was that she was a great success as a wife, though not so good as an employee.

Now that we've covered Helen, it's now time to vote for our second character, and it's all BOYS!

Which of these lucky lucky gents will make it? Let your votes decide!

Results to be announced next week.

And here's an announcement: Somewhere within this week, I'll create a summary of Helen's story based on your votes while we wait for the next character to have their turn.

Disclaimer: This is not transcribed using AI.

Here is a brand-new idea in fiction -- a story which ends in any one of a dozen or more different ways, depending on the taste of the individual reader.

The idea is this:

In the opening pages, we meet three characters -- Helen Rogers and the two men who love her, Jed Harringdale and Saunders Mead. Jed and Saunders are opposite types, and Helen is forced to choose between them. The reader at this point decides which man Helen is to choose. If she takes Jed, the story continues in one way; if she chooses Saunders, an entirely different tale unfolds. Each of these tales inevitably leads to several different turning points, at each of which the reader must decide which course to follow. Thus the ultimate outcome depends on which of a number of alternative decisions the reader has seen fit to make.

It is a delighfully original idea, ingeniously worked out. Try it out for yourself, and see how logically the denoument follows the decisions you make for each character!

Fun fact: The authors of this book wrote etiquette manuals for young people (more likely teens?) and a "self-analysis" book called, I've Got Your Number!.

<- Previous Next ->

(Mod's notes are in Italics)

We are back with your regularly scheduled programming. I'm currently on vacation so more free time for me!

Previously on Let's Play Consider the Consequences...

Helen finally makes it to the big city of New York, just for her very first job at a local printing press.

While there, she's finally reduced into nothing but rookie status, since she didn't recieve enough training back home in Franklin. If she'd listened to mom and dad she wouldn't have gotten that rookie status.

But here's some good news:

Helen's a pretty dilligent worker, that even the boss gives her big promotions and an influential spot at work, but he underpays the rest of his subordinates just because he's got kids to feed.

One day Marion invites her over to a new job offering at a magazine office, but the boss wants her to stay with him. Helen's tired and fed up with the printing press, on the other hand.

Since the choice for Helen to take up the magazine job offer got a 100% score (then again it was me who voted for it), we can finally save her from a lifetime of misery from the printing press!

Let's see what happens next!

Options are highlighted in orange.

Helen lived with Marian Cole in a tiny apartment called a studio on the top floor of a Greenwich Village walk-up to which came artists, writers, minor playwrights, actors, musicians, communists, college girls—young people from every nation and every walk in life. They had a casual way of dropping in and eating whatever was on the table, and helping wash the orange-colored dishes and green glasses.

Helen had not known that life could be so gay. But eventually a time came when she had to decide which to put first, her job at the magazine office or her social life. A telegram came from the editor, Paul Merritt, who was out West addressing a convention, directing her to remove a certain article, found to be libelous, from the issue about to go on the press. It was five o'clock, but the foreman of the printing-plant said that if Helen would stay to proofread the new matter to be substituted, make the readjustments in make-up and O.K. the press proof, he would keep part of the composing staff there until twelve o'clock and the magazine could come out on time. If Helen worked overtime correcting the proofs she would impress Mr. Merritt and really help the business. On the other hand, her hours were from ​nine to five and she was under no obligation to work longer. Only those higher up had to worry about emergencies. Moreover, there was a party on that night, an important party, and Helen had bought a new dress for the benefit of Phil Burns, a young artist whom she was beginning to find extremely congenial.

Results to be announced next week.

I'll also be posting this in the Polls group each week.

<- Previous Next ->

(Mod’s Notes Are in Italics)

We're back with more Consider the Consequences.

In our previous post, Helen's disappointed to let her favorite suitor go, but her parents are RIGHT about him. After all, practicality always wins!

Don't worry too much about Jed. I'm sure he'll find another partner.

Meanwhile, Marion Cole, a friend of hers, is inviting her for an EXCITING job opportunity in NEW YORK, so NEW YORK here we come!

But Mom and Dad would rather see their little Helen stay with them where she'd have to attend business school, since her brother Simeon's leaving for a couple of years to a faraway land.

Since I got the only vote on the previous post and nobody's voted there (then again out of randomness), Helen's decided to go to New York City to get her first job. If she chose to stay with her parents, maybe she could go on with business school, and/or pursue Saunders's heart. Would Mom and Dad be happy for them? Maybe.

If I could add one more option, I could consider making Helen polyamorous. Two lovers at once! No more being confused with suitors!

Now let's see what's next for Helen as she starts this new chapter in her life as an independent, fierce working girl. Will she find love in New York? Let's find out!

Note: Options are highlighted in orange.

Helen's lack of business training was a distinct handicap in getting a good position when she joined her friend Marian Cole in New York City. She was obliged to take what was available to an untrained person and work up slowly. The place Marian found for her was that of copy-holder in a struggling new printing-plant, with long hours and low pay. Nevertheless Helen was thrilled by New York and the small apartment she shared with Marian.

The one great advantage of her printing-plant position was that she was on the spot, and when the switchboard girl in the business office left unexpectedly, Helen was called in to fill the gap. The intelligence with which she did this work attracted the attention of the boss, who was harassed by the problem of securing capable office workers at the low wages he was forced to pay. He had to pay union wages to his printers, he had to support a family of little children, he had to put money back into the plant. There was little left for the office force.

He advanced Helen rapidly, making up with kindness and business education for the lack of good pay. In two years Helen became a capable business woman and a person of some importance in the office, and though her boss never took her advice, he always asked for it.

She had gone in this business about as far as she could. Marian came home one night with the good news of an opening in her office for Helen at fifty dollars a week, and probability of still further advancement. When Helen informed her employer of this opportunity, she was surprised to find that the prospect of losing her was a calamity to him. He told her frankly that matters were in a crucial condition and he did not know how the work could go on without her. Helen realized for the first time what a heavy burden he bravely bore and that he actually leaned on her.

Still more of the shortened polls, but we'll return back to your regularly scheduled polls once I'm on vacation, so make sure to vote wisely!

I may be shifting to different timezones during my vacation.

<-Previous Next->

(Mod’s Notes Are in Italics)

Welcome back to Let's Play Consider the Consequences, the weekly blog where your votes determine the outcome of the story!

In our previous post, we meet Helen, a young woman on the daunting task of choosing one out of two male suitors who are pining for her hand, in contrast to her mythical namesake, who attracted a hell ton of suitors. She's rather quite sweet on Jed, a rich man who's madly in love with her, heart, body, and soul, but his mother, Mrs. Harringdale, wouldn't allow this. On the other hand, Helen's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Rogers are encouraging their daughter to stop chasing that rich boy and settle down with Saunders Mead, a typical hardworking, if not boring, boy-next-door.

Since Saunders got a 100% positive vote, myself included (in fact it was a random choice!), I bet my life that he'll be the sort of future son in-law that Mr. and Mrs. Rogers would brag about till the heat death of the universe! Perhaps he'll make a fine partner for Helen, let alone a husband... or is it?! If Jed got most, if not, all of the votes, Helen would go home broke... or maybe run into a divorce... or be some rich guy's trophy wife.

Now let's see what happens next, now that Helen's decided to go for the way more practical route... and, maybe, suitor. Will she die an old maid or gain her happily ever after with him? Maybe.

Note: Options are highlighted in orange.

Helen's head was stronger than her heart. Her intelligence told that her parents were right in their contention that though Jed might be a charming lover he would make an unsatisfactory husband. Nevertheless, after she had definitely broken with him in a painful interview, she was miserable when she caught a glimpse of him—and miserable when she did not see him. Her passionate desire was to get away from Franklin and start a new life full to the brim with work amid new surroundings.

Marian Cole, a friend of hers who had gone to New York to work, had long been begging her to come to live with her, and had promised to find her some sort of business opening. Helen's parents bitterly opposed the idea of her going away. Her brother Simeon was to be in South America for two years on an engineering project. Her mother, a sweet woman of the dependent type, devoted to her daughter, was grieved at the thought of losing both her children at once, and Mr. Rogers pointed out that now that her school days were over it was Helen's duty to give her mother a few years of her help and companionship. They asked her to stay at home for two years, when Simeon would be back. In the meantime she could take a business course in Franklin.

And now, an announcement:

Next->

(Mod's Notes Are in Italics)

Alright folks, voting's over for our first character!

Since Helen got the most number of votes, and appropriately, as recommended by the book itself, that means she'll be the first character we'll play as! Sooo exciting~~~!!! >_<

In fact, yo girl was indeed Team Helen. I voted for her out of randomness, haha. In fact I joined in the fun.

Don't worry, the boys will also have their fair share later.

I'll provide commentary on posts like this to come.

So vote wisely, my friends, and see if Helen's gonna get her happy ending... or not! See you next week when results are announced!

Happy May, by the way! Have fun this month as always

Note: Options are highlighted in orange.

Should a girl marry against the advice of her parents? Helen Rogers faced this problem. The circumstances were as follows: Helen, a slender, vibrant girl of twenty, with soft, sleek, honey-gold hair and honest gray-green eyes, was madly in love with Jed Harringdale, the only son of a very rich widow. The two had grown up together in Franklin, a small New England town. Helen's parents, with middle-aged prudence, opposed her marrying him, in spite of his mother's wealth. They admitted that Jed was a charming young fellow, but, not being in love with him as Helen was, they could see his faults clearly. They pointed out that he had never really settled down to work, although he made a pretense of selling bonds; that his health was poor, and that he took no care of himself, drinking more than was good for him, staying up all night at poker games, and living on coffee and cigarettes. Helen's brother Simeon—who always did exactly as he wanted to, himself, but from the very highest motives—called Jed a light-o'-love and said he should think a sister of his would have ​more pride than to go around with a man who had already been engaged to two girls.

But Helen knew the better side of Jed's nature. The eyes of love see virtues more clearly than failings. She knew that Jed loved her with his whole heart, that he was thoroughly dissatisfied with his drifting, wasteful habits, and that he was looking forward toward a very different kind of life after they were married. She shrewdly suspected that some of her parents' opposition rose from the fact that Mrs. Harringdale, his mother, had refused to recognize Helen as a possible daughter-in-law. Helen had heard that Mrs. Harringdale said she would rather see her son dead in his coffin than married to "that Rogers girl." But everybody knew that Mrs. Harringdale was an unreasonable woman, who excused her irrational jealousy by calling it mother-love.

Helen's family had their own candidate. They wanted her to marry Saunders Mead, holding that it is wiser to marry a man who is capable of earning money than one who may inherit it. The worst that can be said of Saunders is that he was exactly the kind of man parents would pick out for a son-in-law—prudent, unromantic, hard-working, and devoted to Helen. Helen did not love him. Not an atom. While when she thought of giving up Jed it was as if she were trying to tear her heart out by the roots.

​Helen had to admit that there was truth in what her family said against Jed. On the other hand, her whole heart responded to his devotion, and she was sure that after they were married he would stop drinking and settle down to steady work. He had, moreover, a delicious whimsical charm, so foreign to the serious Rogers family that Helen was captivated by it.

Helen now faced a momentous decision. Should she defy her family and marry Jed, following the dictates of her heart, or should she be as prudent as her parents would like her to be and refuse a marriage which presented difficulties, as well as romance, from the beginning?

(Mod's notes are in Italics)

Note: The original book suggests that we should read all the stories in chronological order, but in this case, our first character will be chosen by way of voting.

Consider the Consequences!

Life is not a continuous line from the cradle to the grave. Rather, it is many short lines, each ending in a choice, and branching right and left to other choices, like a bunch of seaweed or a genealogical table. No sooner is one problem solved than you face another growing out of the first.

You are to decide the course of action of first Helen, then Jed, then Saunders, at each crisis in their lives. Give your first thought, without pausing to ponder.

This game may be played as solitaire, a courting-game, or a party stunt. When the players disagree, follow the choice of the majority, but make a note of the dissenting opinion, so that you can return later and find out what happens to Helen—or Jed or Saunders—when other advice is followed.

We're setting up this blog, so please be patient!